She Needs Me Now
by cals-and-b
Summary: Everything just really hurts sometimes. Something Callie Jacob doesn't handle well. Sometimes she just can't take it. And that's why she does what she does. But when she enters the Foster's household, she's determined to stop because of two things. Jude, of course. And him. **WARNING: This story deals with sensitive topics such as self harm and rape.**
1. Prologue P1

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE/FAIR WARNING**_**: **_ Hi, guys! Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I just need to say before I start, that this story has to do with very sensitive topics such as self harm and rape. If these topics are triggering to you, DO NOT READ._

_Thank you. _

_-Britt_

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Fosters or anything that has to do with the Fosters.

Callie ran into the bathroom, her eyes quickly filling with tears, once again. As soon as she got in, she slammed the door behind her. After about two minutes, she could hear Jude walking up behind the door that she was now sitting against. Jude softly knocked on the door.

"Cal? Can I come in?" he asked, quietly enough so _they _wouldn't hear.

Callie unlocked the door and moved to the side so Jude could open it. Jude opened the door, and shortly after, closed it silently and sat where Callie was previously sitting, against the door. They sat there in silence for a moment, tears still staining Callie's cheeks. Jude looked, empathetically, over at Callie. Then he whispered through the silence.

"Callie, you know you shouldn't listen to them right?"

"Why shouldn't I? Everyone knows they're right. No one will ever want me. Why does everyone have to hate me?" she said as the tears continued to pour out.

"I love you."

"You're the only one."

Callie Jacob is 13 and damaged. She's been living in this physically and emotionally abusive foster home for about 2 months now and she can hardly take it anymore. She's been in plenty other abusive foster homes before, but this is the worst it's been. Not only for her, but for Jude, too. Jude is only 9 and it kills Callie to see these terrible things being done to the only person she loves in this world. She does her best to protect him and she has paid her more for that more than a few times. But right now, it was about Callie.

"Jude, they're really hurting me. And I don't think I can take it much longer," Callie croaked out through her sob.

"They're wrong, Cal. You can think that they aren't, but they are. We need to get out of here."

"I know that. But whenever I say anything, no one believes me. No one will ever believe me. And when _they_ find out, they just make our lives worse. They convince everyone that I'm crazy," Callie had one goal in mind. "I have to protect you, Jude."

They stayed there a moment, Callie looking at the floor, Jude looking at Callie. Neither of them knew what to say or do. Jude scooted into Callie's arms and hugged her tight. When he let go, he spoke again.

"I have to go back to my room. I don't wanna make things worse than they are and they already know that I'm in here," Callie nodded. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Callie lied as she wiped a tear from her cheek. "Now hurry to your room before someone sees you."

And with that, Jude stood up and walked out of the bathroom. He didn't know what his sister was about to start. Callie continued to sit on the floor for about five more minutes, thinking through what she was about to do.

Callie knew that _they _kept extra shaving razors in the bathroom drawers. She stood up from off of the bathroom floor and walked toward where the razors where located. She hesitated, then opened the small drawer beside the toilet and took out and unused razor from the already opened pack. She easily broke the razor open using the pair of scissors that was in the small drawer, also. She carefully took one of the four blades out. She stopped a moment and stared at her pale wrist. Was she really gonna do this? What would Jude think? What would _they _do if they found out? Tears were blurring her vision as she thought about the events that today had brought. She got a grip on the small blade that was now hovering over her wrist.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and she pressed the blade against her now shaking wrist. The blade glided across. She opened her eyes and there was blood. Just a little, but that was only the first of many cuts that day.

But what Callie didn't know is that this is truly only the start of a three year addiction that she would only turn around for two people. Jude, of course. And him.


	2. Prologue P2

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **__Holy crap, you guys! 38 follows already?! I've really never gotten that many on a story before, especially not after only posting the first part of the prolouge! One of my stories on my other account had like 20 follows and I wrote 6 chapters! But anyways, thank you. And if you want updates on my writing process, you can follow me on Tumblr- .com or on Twitter- loveisourthing. Thank you guys so much for reading! Review if you liked it cause I get paranoid, haha. Also, I have to tell you that this part of the prolouge has to do with rape. It does go with the Liam storyline. So if you aren't comfortable with that, don't read it. And also, Brandon and the others will be in next chapter. Thank you!_

_-Britt._

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Fosters.**

**xXx**

"Callie!" she heard a familiar male voice call to her. She turned around to see the tall boy heading for her. Liam. He slowed down his pace once he caught up to her, then, they started walking together.

"Hey, Liam. What's up?"

Callie is now 15 and living in a great foster home. Her and Jude finally got out of the abusive home they were in for one and a half years. Liam Olmstead is Callie's foster brother. Callie and Jude have been living with him and his family for the past 3 months. He's 18 and he seems really cool to Callie. In fact, she may even have a slight crush on him. He's handsome, tall, and he acts really nice to everyone. And everyone seems to like him. Although it's against the rules to date your foster brother, Callie hopes that somehow, they'll be able to break that rule. Maybe his parents won't care. Liam made Callie feel welcomed and well, special. Which is a new feeling. And Callie liked it.

"I'm going to drive home. Do you need a ride?" Liam asked.

"Sure," Callie told him.

She was kinda nervous to go home today because her foster parents weren't gonna be home. It was just gonna be her and Liam. It's never been just them. And Callie was a weird mix of excited and anxious. Of course she knew that he wasn't gonna... urm.. try anything. But she got butterflies thinking about what may happen. Though it could be nothing. They could just end up doing homework, or staying in their seperate rooms until Liam's parents got home. But it excited Callie to think they could be doing more exciting things.

When they got home, Callie's heart was racing. It was really just them now. They went into the house, small talking like they usually did.

"Do you think you should get started on your homework?" Liam asked Callie.

"Umm, I think it would wait for later. Mom usually likes to help me, you know how she is." That was an excuse. Callie hated when her foster mother looked over her shoulder and told her what was and wasn't wrong on her homework. She just wanted time alone with Liam.

"Oh," Liam started, "Well do you just wanna hang out then?"

"Yeah," Callie said with an unintentional half smile.

"Well, do you wanna go upstairs?" Liam asked with a smirk, that would later reveal it's meaning. He extended his hand to her.

Callie didn't say anything. She just hesitated, then took his hand without thinking. This will later, be one of Callie's worst mistakes. She followed him, her hands linked with his, up the creaking stairs. He opened the door to his room.

"Wanna sit down on the bed?" he asked. Callie sat down. So did Liam. Seeing how close he really was made Callie's heart skip a beat. "So Callie," he said and smirked again, "Is there anything you wanna talk to me about?"

"Well.. uhh,"

"You don't need to," Liam said, "But if there's anything you wanna tell me, I'm always here to listen," He seemed to be getting closer and closer to Callie with every word he says. She didn't know if she was imagining it or not. Callie had a weird feeling in her stomach. And she wasn't sure if is was a good feeling or a bad feeling. And before she could say anything about it, his lips were on hers.

She tried to push him away, but whenever she tried, he just kissed her again. He pushed her back on his bed so they were both lying down. Him on top of her so she couldn't get free. She knew exactly what was about to happen. There was no one in the house so she couldn't even call for help. Helplessness isn't a great feeling. Liam broke apart from her lips and, forcibly, took off her sweatshirt. He instantly noticed the red marks on her wrists. He knew there had to be things to use against Callie. But he decided to save that for after.

He continued to remove items of clothing. Callie closed her eyes the entire time.

**xXx**

Callie woke up an hour later to Liam's face right next to hers. He was awake and she was fully aware of what just happened.

"Good morning, gorgeous," Liam said with an evil tone. Callie instantly shot up out of his bed, but he forced her back down, his strong right hand roughly kept her down by her arm. "If you're thinking of telling anyone about this, I wouldn't. I saw the cuts on your arm and I'm sure my parents don't want someone who does that. No one ever will. If you tell anyone about what just happened, I'll tell my parents about your little... issue. They'll get rid of you," Liam smirked, "And it's my word against yours, anyway. Do you think anyone will believe I forced you intto sex?" he laughed. The next words are some that Callie will remember for a good amount of time.

"No one will _ever_ love you."

And with that, he let her go. And she ran to her room and cried. _Nothing_ can descibe how used and _betrayed _she feels. She repeated Liam's words in her head over and over. She believed him. And she believed him for a good few years. Until _he_ came along and proved to her that she is loved. It will take some time, but he will.

And this is where the story starts.

**xXx**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **__Please review. :)_


	3. Chapter 1

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **__Hey guys! I was really happy with the reaction to the last chapter. I really love reading all the reviews and it really makes my day to know that you guys actually read my story and enjoy it. And over 60 follows?! I'm speechless. Like seriously, that's beyond amazing. Also, I'm just gonna say, it's gonna take a while for Brandon and Callie to actually, like, date. Cause I kinda made Liam in this story, to say the least, Satanic. So she has to build A LOT of trust toward Brandon in order to get together with him. And it might take a while. Hope you all don't hate me for that lol. I know how everyone looooves suspense. There will still be cute moments, though. And I might kill you all from time to time. But Brallie is endgame in this story, and they will eventually be together. It's just gonna be a while._

_By the way, I'm really sorry for accidentally posting this chapter early yesterday. That was not intended and it was an honest accident. I guess some of you get a sneak peek, lol. Sorry about that._

_Love you all! Please review!_

_-Britt._

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Fosters or anything that has to do with the Fosters.**

**xXx**

"Hey Cal, can you pass the butter?"

It was another typical night in the Foster family household. But typical was what made them special. Callie gave the butter to Jude.

"Umm, can I be excused? I don't really feel well," Callie lied.

"Of course. Feel better," Stef said with slight concern in her tone.

Callie walked up the stairs in the Foster's household. She walked into the room that she shares with her foster sister, Mariana, and she sits on the bed. Callie and Jude been living with the Fosters for the past 2 months. Callie was positive that this was the best foster home she's ever lived in. They were all extremely welcoming and just plain nice. Well, most of the time. She still struggles with the events in her past. She still has the nightmares and flashbacks from the rape. But it's gotten better since she's lived here. But tonight was one of those nights where it wasn't going so well. Whenever she gets the flashbacks, they're vivid. And it brings her back to that exact day. The feelings of being used being brought back to her. She could hear Liam whisper.

_"No one will ever love you,"_

Callie is pulled out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. She figured it's probably Mariana. Even though it's her room, too, she usually knocks just to make sure she doesn't walk in on Callie changing or anything. Callie gets up from her spot on the bed and walks over to the door. Instead of being greeted by Mariana, she looks up and meets a pair of blue-green eyes. Brandon.

"Callie," Brandon says as he looks at her, "I was just coming up to check on you. You looked a little sick at dinner. Are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine," she lied again, "Just a little tired,"

Brandon Foster is the only person, besides Jude, that Callie let some of her walls down with. She hasn't told him everything. Not even close. But Callie felt like she could let him in on some things. She told him about some of her foster homes. The happy and the not-so-happy. Not about the Olmstead's or the cuts on her wrist. She hasn't told anyone about that. Not Brandon, not Jude. No one. She intended to keep that to herself. Callie felt somewhat safe with Brandon. She couldn't explain it even if she tried. She knows she shouldn't let herself feel safe with anyone after what happened with Liam. But Brandon was different. She felt it.

"I don't think you're ok. Do you wanna talk to me?" Brandon asked with genuine care in his eyes. He could see that she'd been crying. Her eyes are glossy and her makeup was a little smeared. Callie was silent for a little. She tired to keep her tears in. Brandon could see that.

Brandon walked through the door and closed it. Luckily, Mariana wasn't at home tonight so they could talk in private. As soon as he got the door closed, Brandon walked closer to Callie and put his arms around her back and locked her in his embrace. Callie rested her head in the crook of his neck and a few tears streamed down her cheek. Suddenly, the few tears turned into full blown sobs. Brandon held her close as she cried, his cheek on the side of her head.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want, Cal. It's ok, I don't mind," Brandon whispered in her ear, comfortingly.

"Brandon, I do want to tell you. And I wish I had the strength to. It's just really hard to put my trust in people. Do you understand?" Callie said through her sobs.

"I understand. You don't have to tell me. But just know that if you want to talk to someone, you can come to me," Brandon said as he continued to hold her, gently. He knows she's fragile right now. He doesn't know why she's like this, but he wants to give her as much comfort as possible.

"I'm sorry. I really want to trust you. And I will eventually tell you why I'm like this. I'm just not ready. I just don't wanna be hurt again," Callie told him, calming down a little.

Brandon moved his hands slowly up and down Callie's spine, giving her shivers. It felt comforting. Brandon moved his head and pulled back a little. He moved one of his hands to hold hers, and his other hand tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, then positioned it to cup her cheek. Callie was now looking at the ground beside her, but Brandon craved eye contact.

"Callie, look at me," Brandon said. She did what she was told. His eyes were a deep shade of greenish-blue. Like the ocean. Even with the terrible lighting in her room. She felt a connection, "I will never hurt you. That's a promise I intend to keep. You don't have to trust me, or tell me why you're like this right now. Just know that I won't hurt you."

Callie nodded and fell back into his arms. She knew he wasn't lying. She could see it in his eyes. God, his eyes. Every time she looked at him, she felt the connection. It felt like a fire was slowly igniting in her body. It was a start. And she knew it wasn't gonna be today or tomorrow, but she felt like someday, she might be able to trust again. She'll be able to trust Brandon. But it'll take time. Callie knew that for sure. And Brandon might be able to fix her. All the habits she's started. She doesn't feel that when he's around. She just feels the connection. And that's all she wanted to feel. 'No,' she thought to herself, 'I can't do this again. Not with Brandon. I can't cross the foster sibling line again, they'll kick me out. And like Liam said, no one loves me,' As soon as she thought about that, she pulled away from Brandon.

"I think I'm gonna go to sleep now," she said as she wiped a tear from her eye, "Thank you for helping me, it means a lot,"

"Anytime," he said, "Are you gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, I think so,"

"Ok, Cal. Goodnight. Sleep well," Brandon said as he opened the door.

"You, too. Goodnight," And with that, Brandon walked out the door. And as soon as he leaves, Callie breaks down crying.

She leaned against the door and slid down it so she was sitting on the floor. She does _not _want to go through this again. She'll get herself and Jude kicked out of the only foster home they've actually been happy in. She doesn't want to get put in a group home and she definitely doesn't want to be seperated from Jude. But she knows this thing with Brandon isn't gonna be nothing. She really doesn't know what to do. Callie gets up and walks over to her bed. She lays down under the covers and continues her sobbing as the flashbacks continued. The amazing part was that they went away when she was in Brandon's arms. But now that he's gone, they're back.

_"If you're thinking of telling anyone about this, I wouldn't. I saw the cuts on your arm and I'm sure my parents don't want someone who does that. No one ever will."_

She lifted her sleeves and she looked at her arm. The lower part of her arm was filled with cuts. Some old, some were made yesterday. 'You know what Liam said,' Callie thought to herself, 'If Brandon ever found out about this, he'd probably wouldn't even want to talk to Callie anymore. And with that thought, Callie made a new mission in her mind. She wants to stop. Liam had made it clear to her that if she continues this, no one will love her. So she wants to stop. For herself. For Jude. For the family. For _Brandon. _

As much as Callie hated to admit it, she was falling for Brandon. Very slowly, but surely. And the feeling was mutual. But for him, it happened a lot faster and he fell a lot harder. And he knew it was going to be hard, but he wanted Callie to trust him. He knows it's gonna take a while, but it will be worth it in the end. And he's determined to keep his promise to her and he's gonna try his hardest not to hurt her. She doesn't deserve any more pain. He wants to win her heart. Which won't be easy. But that's not what he's looking for. It will be possible. And that's all he cares about.

Callie is broken. And Brandon is going to try his hardest to fix her.

**xXx**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **__Nothing is impossible. :)_

_Please review if you liked this chapter. I'm really iffy about it and I don't think it's very good._

_If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to PM me. Or you can talk to me on Twitter or Tumblr. Both of them are the same username. loveisourthing. _

_Thank you for reading!_


	4. Chapter 2

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **__You guys are literally amazing. I love you all. Just thought you'd like to know. Well it's 2am and I honestly don't know where I'm gonna go with this chapter, so bear with me. There's a pretty long flashback in this chapter, just warning you, but it shows a lot more about how damaged Callie actually is in the story. I know we have a lot of 'sad Callie' in this story. Don't worry, guys, Brandon's coming to the rescue soon. Thank you to a few of you that gave me some awesome suggestions. AND OMG THE PROMO FOR NEXT EPISODE I WAS DYING. I ran into my sister's room and fell on the ground and I just laid there, emotionally unstable and fluctuating between laughing and crying for like, a good 30 minutes. They took pictures lol. Check my tumblr! (cals-and-b) You'll truly see how insane I went! But I have a very good feeling about next episode. :)_

_Please read and review! Reviews help me update faster. ;D_

_-Britt_

**xXx**

Callie woke up the next morning to someone quietly opening her bedroom door. She turned around in her blanket to see who it was. To her luck, she saw exactly who she wanted to see, leaning up against her door.

"Hey, you," Brandon said softly, in case she wasn't fully awake, "Good morning," Callie looked at the clock. 8am.

"It's too early," Callie mumbled. Brandon let out a slight laugh. He walked from the doorway to Callie's bed. He sat down at the foot. Callie half sat up, making eye contact with Brandon, who, by the way, was still in his pajamas. His eyes were glowing with genuine worry and care. Something Callie doesn't see often. They held the contact for a few moments. She remembered the events from last night. This was the first time in a long time that Callie hasn't woken up to a flashback, or had a nightmare.

_"I will never hurt you,"_

She repeated Brandon's words over and over to herself in her mind. She could never get tired of it. His comforting voice, the look he had in his eyes. But she knew that this blissful moment couldn't last forever.

"Are you alright?" Brandon broke the silence. "Because last night... you know what happened. And I'm worried about you," He really was.

"Uhh yea.. Brandon.. I'm fine," Callie said as she looked at the ground.

"Callie, don't lie to me," Brandon said. Callie deeply into his eyes. "You don't have to pretend,"

Callie didn't want to start crying again. But she felt it coming on. 'No,' she thought to herself, 'I'm not crying in front of him again. He has better things to do than help me through my issues,' Suddenly, Callie felt a strong hand grasp her small, frail hand. He was gentle. Like he was trying not to break her. Callie looking at the ground, detaching the eye contact. He knew she was in a fragile state right now, emotionally. He didn't want to put any pressure on her.

"I'm sorry," Brandon said, looking at Callie. She wasn't looking at him, but she could tell by his tone that he means it. Callie could feel the tears forming.

"It's ok," she said quickly, "Do you.. uhh.. want to go downstairs? They'll be wondering where we are," She was still looking at the ground. But then, she lifted her head and tried to read Brandon's expression. He looked a little confused as he looked back at her. But he spoke.

"Sure," Brandon said. Callie got up off of her bed and slowly made her way to the door. Brandon followed close behind. "Uhh, Callie?"

"Yeah?" she turned to face him.

He looked at her. Not just a friendly admiring of her outfit, but he _really_ looked at her. 'Damn, she really is stunning," Brandon thought, 'Even when she's in a sweatshirt and pajama pants," He remembers one time that Callie was talking to him privately, just a couple of weeks ago, and she said she wasn't even a little attractive. It really kills him to think that this beautiful girl doesn't see what he sees.

"Brandon?" Callie said after about 10 seconds. He was staring at her.

"Huh? Oh," Brandon didn't realize he hadn't talked. "I just gonna say, don't forget what I said last night. You can always talk to me,"

Callie glanced at him for a second. She wanted to believe him. Instead of saying anything, she nodded and continued walking out of her bedroom. Brandon lingered for a moment, just gathering his thoughts. Does she know he actually cares about her? Probably not. But one day, he wanted her to know. He was brought back to reality as soon as he heard Callie call his name, softly.

"Brandon. Are you coming?" she said, when she realized that he wasn't following behind her.

"Yeah," Brandon said as he walked out of Callie and Mariana's room and down the stairs. When he got downstairs, it was the same scene that he saw almost every morning. Everyone was eating breakfast at the kitchen table. There was an open seat right next to Callie. He decided to seize the opportunity and take the seat.

Callie looked up, even though she knew exactly who sat next to her. She was met with the very familiar blue-green eyes that belonged to Brandon. He gave her a half smile to try to cheer her up, which Callie returned. She quickly pulled her gaze from Brandon, back to the homemade waffles that she was eating, made by Lena.

Brandon's gaze lingered for a minute. He could stare at her forever. She was just so.. cute. She was smiling and laughing at a story that Jude was telling her. She just seemed to have so much joy around Jude. But Brandon knew she was putting on a brave act. With what happened last night and this morning, there's no way she could really be that happy in a matter of minutes. She was just in her room, about ready to break down again. And really, it made Brandon respect her even more than he already did. She had to be really strong. And she must have done this before. There's no way this is the first time. And it wasn't.

..

_After that terrible night, Callie had fallen asleep in her own bedroom that she shared with Jude. The constant sobbing tired her out. It's like her body shut down, but her mind was still active as ever. She had a nightmare, and Liam's words were still ringing through her ears. She was really scared that this was going to be continuous and that Liam would violate her again. She wants to tell someone. But she knows what will happen if she does. And she doesn't want to get kicked out, for Jude's sake. He was finally a little happy here. She couldn't destroy that. So she decided to put on a brave face._

_She was terrified of running into Liam. She tried to be really quiet because she knew that Liam was still in his room, sleeping. And he was a light sleeper. She tip-toed down the stairs, and into the kitchen where, thankfully, the rest of the Olmsteads' and Jude were. They were sitting at the smaller table. Jude was smiling, and talking to Liam's parents. Callie went to sit down next to Jude. _

_"Hey buddy. What are you guys talking about?" Callie said, trying to act happy. But Jude could tell there was something wrong._

_"We were just talking about my new friend from school," Callie was taken aback. Jude made a friend? Out of all the foster homes they went to, Jude hasn't made one friend. Callie didn't know why. Jude was loving and friendly. Callie just thought they like to make fun of him because he's different. Which is fine. They didn't need to be his friend if they always picked on him. He doesn't need to be around those kinds of people._

_"You made a friend?" Callie asked, still a little surprised. Jude nodded. _

_"He's really nice,"_

_"That's great, Jude!" Callie smiled. Her legitimate happiness was cut short by sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs. It has to be Liam. He was the only one that wasn't present at the table. It was then that Callie realized that there was 2 empty seats on the other side of her. Maybe he'd choose the seat closer to his dad. Despite Callie's wishes, he sat in the seat closer to her. The happy look in her eyes turned to utter fear. And Jude had noticed._

_"Good morning, everyone," Liam said with the same evil smirk he used last night._

_"Morning, Liam," his father said, "Did you sleep well?"_

_"Oh, I slept very well," He said as he glanced over at Callie, the smirk still present on his face. Callie didn't look at him. She looked straight, focusing on something outside. She didn't want to look at him or talk to him or even acknowledge his existence. He was now a revolting person, according to Callie._

_"Did you two get along well while we were gone?" his mother asked._

_"I'd say so. Callie, what would you say?"_

_Callie truly hated Liam at this point. He makes her feel worthless and disgusting. She didn't say anything, she just continued to stare outside._

_"Callie,"_

_"Hm," Callie breathed, angrily._

_"I asked you what you thought about yesterday," Liam said. He put his hand on her upper thigh, without anyone else seeing. Callie tensed up, she knew she was about to cry, but she continued her act. Liam was moving his hand up her thigh slowly. He knew that he was terrifying Callie._

_"It was great, Liam," Callie finally croaked out. Liam smiled and removed his hand from her leg._

_"That's nice, you guys," Liam's mother said with a smile._

_"Uh, can I be excused? I have to get caught up on my homework," Callie said, untruthfully._

_"Go ahead," Mr. Olmstead said._

_And with that, Callie exited the kitchen and ran up the stairs and into her room like she was being chased by a bear. As soon as she got to her room, she sat on her bed in a fetal position, and started crying. Was this how it's gonna be for her entire life? She was petrified. She was in a hysterical state. She didn't think it was ever gonna get better. She heard footsteps outside of her room and she ran to the door, ready to hold back anyone that tried to get in. She felt pushing on the other side of the door. Callie was strong, but the other person was stronger. _

_"Let me in, bitch," the familiar voice hissed. Liam._

_He pushed the door all the way open. Callie ran to the other side of the room. Liam's lips suddenly formed into his signature villainous smirk. _

_"So you liked what happened last night?" Liam moved closer to Callie._

_"Liam, get away from me," Callie whimpered. But that just made him want to come closer, so he did. He pinned her against the wall, both of his hands on her arms, above her head. She screamed in pain, due to Liam's tight grip. He decided she was too loud, so he put his hand over her mouth. She was sobbing uncontrollably._

_"Listen here, slut. You see how the game is played? You either co-operate with me or you'll get what you deserve," Liam said, close to her face. "Now are you gonna play nice, or are we gonna have to have a repeat of last night? Because I will. And I'll tell my parents your little secret." Liam laughed and took his hand off her mouth., "Do we have a deal?"_

_"Fine," Callie cried, "Please let me go,"_

_He let go of her arm and he left. She sank to the ground. She wonders what she ever did to deserve this. Jude came into their room a few minutes later. He shut the door behind himself. He saw his big sister on the floor, tears streaming down her face, quickly. He ran over to Callie. He knelt in front of her._

_"What happened? Was it Liam? I saw how weird you guys were this morning," Jude whispered, "Callie," She looked at him. Jude was on the verge of tears, himself. It deeply saddened him to see the one he loves the most in such a state of fear, "Did he hurt you?"_

_"J-Jude," Callie managed to croak out, "I can't-"_

_"Don't worry, Cal," he said and wrapped her in his small arms. She continued to sob for another few minutes. After she was done, Jude went back to kneeling in front of her. She was already dressed and ready to go to school. "Do you want me to help you downstairs?" Callie nodded. She grabbed her backpack and, with Jude at her side, walked out of her bedroom door, down the creaking stairs, and out the front door._

_"I'm fine now, Jude. You can go back in," _

_"Are you sure?" _

_"Yeah, I'm ok," She hugged Jude and said goodbye to him. She wasn't ok. She put on her bravest face, again, for his sake. But she was running out of patience. And she would break her courageous mask sooner or later. But for now, she still wears it well._

_.._

After breakfast, since it wasn't a school day, Callie knew that music would probably be therapeutic. So she went up to her room, closed the door, and picked up the guitar that Brandon had given her a couple months ago. She only knew a few chords. To be exact, she knows the chords D, Em, G, and C. Which she knew where some of the easiest chords. But that was enough for her. She sat on her bed with the guitar and strummed a few chords. She quickly developed a pattern. All of a sudden, she heard someone opening her door. She stopped playing. It was Brandon.

"Why'd you stop? That was really good," Brandon said, a half smile present on his face.

"You scared me a little," Callie with a half-hearted laugh. She looked at the ground, the back up at him. Brandon approached Callie and sat close to her on her bed. Unusually close. It made Callie's heart skip a beat, even though she knew that it shouldn't.

"Do you want me to teach you a few more chords?" Brandon asked her.

"Yeah," Callie said, "Thank you,"

"It's not a problem," Brandon smiled. He took her left hand, which was on the neck of the guitar, and properly placed her fingers on top of the strings to form an F chord. His hand lingered on hers. She looked at him, who was already gazing at her. He brushed the hair out of her face and behind her ear with his free hand. Callie half smiled and broke the eye contact.

"So what chord is this?"

"It's an F," Brandon said, now looking down and his hand that was still on hers. She strummed the chord. It made a clear noise, unlike some of the other chords she tried to teach herself. "Sounds good," Brandon took his hand off Callie's hand. He heard someone knock on the door, so he instantly separated himself from Callie.

"Come in!" Callie said. Mariana walked in with Lexi. Brandon stood up from Callie's bed and walked over to the door.

"Hey, you two. Uhh what are you guys up to?" Mariana gave them a suspicious smile.

"Uhh, nothing," Brandon said quickly. "I was just leaving. Callie, I guess we'll finish this up later,"

"Ok," Callie said, "Don't forget," She warned with a playful smile.

"I won't," he returned her smile as he left the room and went back in his own bedroom.

"What was that!?" Mariana asked with a wide smile.

"What was what?" Callie was a little confused.

"That thing that just happened between you and Brandon!" Mariana exclaimed.

"What? There's nothing going on between me and Brandon. He was helping me learn more chords on guitar."

"Callie, you don't have to hide it from me," Mariana smirked, "I knew it was gonna happen sooner or later. I'm not gonna tell moms if that's what you're worried about. But Brandon is totally into you," Mariana gushed.

"Mariana, you don't understand. Look, I gotta go talk to Jude. I'll talk to you later."

"Ok, but you won't be able to lie to me for very much longer," Mariana winked and smiled. Callie got up off her bed and walked out the door and past Mariana and Lexi, and into Jude's room.

xXx

Brandon lied down on his bed, thinking about what he was getting himself into. He thinks about all the things that can go wrong with chasing after someone like Callie. There's so many bad things that could happen, but Brandon comes to the conclusion that it's worth it. He's not gonna push her. He's gonna be there for her whenever she needs him to be there. He made that a silent promise. And he's gonna need to keep it.

xXx

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **__Thank you so much for reading. I hope you liked it. I'm sorry the update took a while, my mind was going into writer's block mode again, haha. _


	5. Chapter 3

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ _I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while. I couldn't really figure out what I was gonna do with this chapter til last night. I had kind of a sudden burst of inspiration last night and this morning. It's complicated and I don't wanna bore you all haha. So there's one part on this chapter, I'm gonna give credit to one of my friends on Tumblr for the idea. You know who you are. Thank you. :) This chapter will be mainly about Callie and some character development on her part. There will be a few Brallie moments in this chapter. (Just so you know, I have a weird thing with people making eye contact. I think it establishes a deeper emotional connection, and that's why I pay so much attention to eyes in my story.) But like, nothing hardcore. Sorry about that. I'm thinking of doing something big in 2 chapters or so. So stay tuned. :P _

_Anyways, the summer finale was amazing. And the end was so.. uhh.. no. Haha. I was dying on the floor and my mom was laughing at me. She doesn't understand that having a mental breakdown because CALLIE IS RUNNING AWAY WITH FRICKIN WYATT isn't funny. To say the least, it wasn't one of my best moments. But the BRALLIE KISS WAS AMAZING. Holy crap. Ok I'm done now lol._

_Love you all. 3 Don't forget to review! It's what keeps me motivated!_

_-Britt_

...

Callie and Brandon have only been getting closer and closer as the days have gone on. She's learning to trust him. Even if it's only a little. It's still an improvement. They've been talking a lot. Sometimes about little things, like how their English teacher always has them read the worst books ever. About music and guitar. He's taught her more chords and he even taught her a song he wrote. Sometimes they talk about deeper things. He's learned a lot about Callie and her past. Nowhere near all of it, he's sure of that. But it's more than he ever thought he would get. And no matter what Callie tells him, it really doesn't effect the way he feels about her. In fact, Brandon's feelings for Callie are still present as ever, though he'd never admit it out loud. He's really starting to like her _a lot._

They were both in Brandon's room. They had a few hours til Brandon's moms got home. The guitar in her hands, and his fingers were on the keys of his piano. They tended to do this a lot when there weren't a lot of people home. They made up songs as they went along and it just kinda worked. Nothing ever sounded out of place.

Whenever they do these kind of things, it makes both of them really happy. Callie's hasn't really ever had someone like Brandon in her life. She hasn't felt this kind of joy in who knows how long. It's a nice break from the misery that usually accompanies her. All of a sudden, Brandon stops playing piano. It was silent for a moment.

"Why'd you stop?" Callie asked. Brandon turned away from the piano and faced Callie. Her just stared at her for a moment. He saw so much beauty in her. Inside and out. He knew this was a really random time to notice this, but the slow ballad they were playing on their instruments reminded him of her. Just the way it was played was distinctly symbolic of Callie. She gave him a weird look, but she smiled, "Are you alright?" Brandon snapped out of his trance with Callie's words.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine," Brandon stuttered, "You've gotten better, you know. At guitar, I mean," Callie smiled and looked down, and back at Brandon.

"I don't really hear a difference, but thank you," Callie said, smile still present on her face, "I told you my mom taught me how to play before, right?" Brandon nodded. Callie's smiled suddenly disappeared as she looked directly at Brandon, "Have I ever told you about how my mom died?" And with that, Brandon got up from his seat and sat next to Callie on his bed. He looked at her, but she was looking straight forward. Brandon craved eye contact, but he didn't want to push anything. Like she read his mind, Callie's coffee-colored eyes met a pair of icy green eyes that belonged to one of the only people that dared to connect with Callie on such a deep level.

"You don't have to te-"

"I want to," Callie cut him off. She had finally built enough trust in Brandon to knock one of her many walls down. To open up and let him into one part of her emotional past. She was gonna do this. Callie took a deep breathe as she started on her story, "One night, my biological parents decided to go out to dinner. I think it was their anniversary or something special like that. They left me and Jude with a baby sitter," Brandon was listening intently, but Callie drew her eyes away from his. She looked straight ahead, and Brandon was still looking at her, "From what I heard, my dad got pretty drunk. My mom tried to take the keys away from him, but he was stronger. Even when he was drunk. He started the engine and my mom got in the car," She felt the tears that were now forming in her eyes. She tried to hold them back. She didn't wanna seem weak, "They said she was trying to save him. She tried to swerve the wheel in the right directions, but my dad wouldn't let her near the wheel. Instead, he just ran into the car in front of them. My mom forgot to put her seat belt on and she went though the windsheild," Brandon saw a tear starting to stream down her cheek. Callie looked back up at him.

He slowly cupped his left hand against her jaw line and used his thumb to wipe the salty tear. After the tear was gone, Brandon put his hand down and scooted closer to her. When he was inches away, he wrapped his arms around her, and embraced her in a side hug. Callie laid her head on his shoulder, and, still locked in his arms, continued her story, "The hospital called the baby sitter. She drove me and Jude to the emergency room. When we got there, my mom was in surgery. She lost a lot of blood. She barely made it through the surgery. One of her lungs collapsed later that night and the doctor's put her on life support so me and Jude were able to say goodbye while she was still alive. I remember Jude and I were crying and he was lying next to our mom on the hospital bed and I was holding her hand. That's how we remained until she took her last breath as the doctor took her off life support," Callie was still in Brandon's arms. He was holding her from behind, still sitting on Brandon's bed. His arms around her waist and his hands residing on her tiny stomach. His chin was resting in the crook of her neck. She was crying, now. Brandon could tell. His eyes were closed, but he just knew, "My dad went to jail for manslaughter,"

"Callie, I'm sorry," Brandon whispered into her ear. Callie broke away from Brandon to look back into his eyes.

"It's not your fault," Callie argued. Why should he be sorry for something her dad did?

"It doesn't have to be my fault for me to feel bad," Brandon said. They were just inches away from eachother. He wasn't about to kiss her, it would feel too soon. Too rushed. But he wanted to reassure her that she could feel safe with him. He moved his hand to gently grasp her arm, but as soon as he touched her, she flinched away, and her eyes quickly retreated to where they've been for quite a while. Staring straight ahead. He doesn't know why she flinched. He's been much closer to her before.

Callie knows exactly why she flinched. The thin material used to make her long-sleeved shirt was enough to feel her scars on the other side. She didn't want to tell Brandon about that anytime soon. She wants to get better. And she knows that telling Brandon would make or break her recovery. That's a chance that she doesn't want to take today, or anytime soon.

"I've done a lot of things I regret, Brandon," Callie spoke in a broken whisper. Her now bloodshot eyes met his again. The look in her eye made Brandon experience a part of the pain she was feeling. He could see all the pain and heartbreak though her brown eyes. It makes him even more determined to mend everything broken.

"You matter to me, Callie," Brandon said. After moment of silence, he saw part of the broken-ness turn to trust. It was just a glimpse, but it still counted. All of a sudden, Brandon heard one of his moms open the front door downstairs, and announce that she has pizza.

"I'll be down in a minute," Callie told Brandon as she got up from her bed and retreated to the bathroom to clean up her smeared make up and cover up her puffy eyes. Brandon let out a silent sigh and got up and walked to the kitchen.

...

"Callie?" Stef said from across the kitchen. Callie turned her head towards Stef, "Can you grab me a container from the cabinet right behind you?"

Everyone was in the living room except for Stef and Callie. The rest of the family was playing a game while the other two cleaned up the mess from that night's dinner. Callie was doing the dishes. She offered to. Stef was at the table, clearing and cleaning it, and storing the leftovers. Callie guessed she needed the container to put the leftover food in. She reached up to open the cupboard above her. When she opened it, Her loose fitting sleeve accidentally rolled up her arm, exposing half of her arm, including her scars. She quickly rolled the sleeve back up and looked behind her and she saw Stef with wide eyes, and lips parted into a shocked frown.

"Oh Callie," Stef said as she walked over to the broken girl. As soon as she got over to her, she looked at her eyes, then down at her arm. This was one of the first times in her experience with parenting that Stef didn't know what to do. So she hugged her. At the moment, Callie's eyes turned back to the familiar shade of bloodshot.

"Please don't tell anyone," Callie pleaded, "Especially not Jude," She wanted to mention Brandon, too, but Callie assumed that Stef would suspect something was up.

"I won't tell Jude. Or any of the other kids in this house, for that matter. I can promise you that," Stef stepped back from the embrace as Callie gave a sigh of relief, "But I have to tell Lena. And we'll get you the help you need. You can see an individual therapist instead of going to group," Callie nodded. Stef looked genuinely concerned. She didn't want anything bad for Callie. Even if Callie didn't want to believe it, Stef cares about her. And so does everyone in the house. It'll take a lot for Callie to learn that. Everyone knew it. But no one was gonna stop trying until she learns what family really is.

...

"Lena, we need to talk," Stef said as she entered the living room where everyone but Callie was sitting. "Come upstairs,"

Lena nodded and got up from the couch. The both walked up the stairs and into the bedroom they share, and sat with her on their bed. After the talk with Callie after dinner, Stef agreed with Callie that Lena will be the only person she tells about her situation. Callie said she'd rather not be there when she talked with Lena. But Callie's waiting downstairs. Stef had told her that after she and Lena talked, they would both come downstairs and talk to her. But first, Stef needed to talk to Lena.

"What about?" Lena asked, a little confused.

"It's about Callie," Stef said with noticable hesitancy, "We have a problem,"

Lena quickly grew concerned. She hasn't seen Stef like this for a very long time, and it made her very worried. "What's wrong with Callie?" Lena said in a hushed voice as she scooted closer to the blonde woman sitting on the bed. Lena looked at Stef. Stef didn't say anything for a while. She was still in shock because she would never have expected this out of Callie. Callie was always seemingly happy. She definitely had her bad days, but it always seemed to clear up after a while. She couldn't even imagine the emotional stress that could've caused Callie to do this to herself. Lena finally broke the silence, "Stef. What happened?" Lena demanded.

"I was in the kitchen today with Callie. We were cleaning up after dinner. I asked her to grab me a container so I can put the leftovers away. She reached up to get the container and the sleeve on her shirt rolled down a little bit," Stef paused for a moment. She was holding back tears. Lena had a thousand ideas running in her brain about what Stef would say next. And then she realized, "Callie had scars all the way up her arm. Some of them looked new," Lena now made a simlar face to Stef's when she first found out, "She hurts herself, Lena," Stef choked out. Lena now has a single tear falling from her cheek. It's like her heart was being torn out. She doesn't know why she'd ever do that to herself.

"Are you s-sure?" Lena said, not really knowing how to respond to this.

"I'm positive. She asked me not to tell anyone. I told her that I was gonna tell you. She was fine with it, but we can't tell the other kids. Especially not her brother," Stef said, regaining a little emotional strength, "We can't send her away and we can't tell anyone. Including Bill. He'll put her in a group home. I don't want her to go through any more misery."

"We won't tell anyone. We can't. And none of the other kids can know about this. It's Callie's business. If she wants to tell them, she will," Lena said, wiping a tear from under her eye.

"She said she's trying to get better. She said she hasn't hurt herself in more than a couple weeks. I trust her. But I think she needs more help than she can give herself," said Stef. They sat in bitter silence again, "Do you think we should go talk to Callie now?"

"Yeah, let's go,"

Lena and Stef got up off their bed and went downstairs to see all of the kids, even Callie, in the living room. It looked like they were playing _Monopoly_. They were all talking and it sounded like they were laughing at something Brandon said.

"Callie?" Lena said as soon as there was a quieter moment, "Can we talk to you quickly?"

Callie got up and followed Lena and Stef into the kitchen. Callie had gotten a sweatshirt on by now, so she doesn't accidentally roll her sleeves up again. If that happened again while playing the game, Brandon and Jude would've seen and Callie wasn't about to take that risk.

In the other room, the Monopoly game ended about 5 minutes after Callie left, and Jesus, Mariana, and Jude went to go get ready for bed. Brandon was lying on the couch. He was waiting for Callie. He was thinking about the things they talked about today. It made Brandon really sad to think about what happened to Callie's mom. If that ever happened to one of his moms or his dad, he doesn't even want to think of what he would be feeling. All of a sudden, Brandon remembered that Callie, Stef and Lena were talking in the kitchen.

Brandon knows that it's wrong to eavesdrop, but he was kind of curious about what was going on. Brandon walked toward the kitchen and paused when he could hear them all clearly.

"We're gonna get you help, Callie," Brandon heard Lena say, "You can go see an individual therapist."

"I really appreciate your help, but you're not gonna tell anyone about this. Especially not Jude, are you?"

"Of course not,"

'_What?'_ Brandon thought to wouldn't Callie wanna talk about whatever this is? She trusts her brother more than she trusts anyone, so why couldn't she tell Jude? Out of all the ideas going through Brandon's mind, there was one that stook out. Was it possible that Callie had depression? Brandon heard them walking back into the room so he rushed back to the couch and sat down. Luckily, no one knew he was listening. Callie walked in and sat down next to Brandon. Stef and Lena went upstairs back to their room.

"Hey," Callie said, "What are you still doing down here?"

"I was waiting for you," Brandon said. Callie looked at him, "I heard what you guys were talking about,"

"What?" Callie almost yelled. She was kind of mad at Brandon for eavesdropping, but she was more worried about what he would think of her now that he knows.

"Callie, you have depression?"

Callie was suprised at his almost correct guess, but she was relieved that he really didn't know about the most important part. She wanted to tell him the truth, but the truth might break down any kind of friendship, or whatever kind of relationship that she had with Brandon.

"Uh...Y-Yeah," She hates lying to him, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"It's fine. If you need to talk to me, ever, no matter what I'm doing, I'm here for you. I promise," Brandon said. Callie, once again, fell lost in Brandon's icy green eyes. Just like she did a few hours earlier. As cliche as that sounded. Brandon decided to take a quick chance and put his hand on her arm again. She didn't flinch away this time, but instead, she very hesitantly, put her own hand on top of his. Keeping his hand in place. He smiled a little, reassuringly. They heard a noise coming from upstairs and they quickly moved away for eachother. Soon after, they saw Jesus making his way to the kitchen. Callie decided that she should go upstairs. She was tired, and if her and Brandon got caught doing things that people that were "just friends" nessisarily do, she would surely get kicked out.

"I'm gonna go to bed. We'll talk in the morning,"

And with that, Callie went upstairs and in complete silence, without a single flashback, Callie went to sleep with a smile because she knew she was gonna get better. And Brandon was gonna help her.

...

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **__Sorry about the boring ending haha. I was kind of in a rush to finish it. But I have something awesome planned in 2 chapters. :) _


End file.
